Explosive-engine.



17 4 77. PATENTED SEPT. s 1907.

0 86 E. J. WOOLP.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5. 1906.

2 SHEETS-8HEET 1.

Ina onion i w/z No. 864,877. PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907. E. J. WOOLP.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

uruouron FILED JAN. 6. 1906.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wM/M/ 1 UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ELLIS I. WOOLF, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, .ASSIGNOR TO THE WOOLFVALVE GEAR COMPANY, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OFnrNNEso'm.

mLOBIVI-INGIHI.

No. 864,877. Specification of Letters Patent. Sept. 8, 1907.

Application M January 0.1m. Serial Io. 294,862.

To all whom it may concern: open to the atmosphere, at or near its upperend, as

Be it known that I, Ems I. Wootr, a citizen oi the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inExplosive-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description oi'the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to explosive agent machines, and was especiallydesigned for use in explosive engines. The invention, however, iscapable of use in other forms of machines employing explosive agents,

devices such as heavy ordnance. The especial object is to render thesemachines more eificient by the provision of a simple and reliablemechanism for the injection of water into the explosion cylinder in sucha way so as to get both the cooling effect therefrom and the additionalpower resulting from the vapor or steam generated from the water.

'To these ends, my invention consists of the novel and combinations ofdevices hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate an explosive engine of thetwo'cycle type equipped with my 'present invention, and the particularengine illustrated is of the general design disclosed in my priorpatent, 683,886 of date October 1, 1901.

In the said drawings, like notations refer to like. .parts throughouttheseveral views.

In said drawings, Figure l is an end elevation of the engine, lookingfrom the right with respect to Fig. 2, with some of the parts shown incross section,

' at right angles to the crank shaft; and Fig. 2 is a central entialcylinder, the larger member of which opens' into the compression chamber5. In this differential cylinder is mounted a corresponding differentialpiston 7 connected, by rod 8, with the crank of the shaft 4. The smallermember of the differential piston is of trunk-like form, and the lowerend thereof opens into the compression chamber 5. Thedifferentialspacebetween the cylinders and pistons is shown in Fig. 2andmarked with the numeral 9.

The crank shaft compression chamber 5 receives its supply of explosivemixture under the control of a generating inlet valve, 10, of awell-known type; The mixture, when compressed within the chamber 5, bythe larger member of the differential pistons, is ad mitted into theexplosion chamber of the engine under the control of a charging valve11, shown as seated.

in the head of the smaller member of the differential pistons and alsoshown as subject to a light spring 12, for insuring a quick closingaction, but which valve 11 may be mounted to operate by gravity and themotion of the piston, without the use of any spring.

The main portion of the working cylinder of the engine is afforded bythe upper casting 3, but a portion of the working cylinder is castintegral with the central outing 2; and these castings 2 and 3 are ofsuch construction, and so related, when united, as to afford betweensaid upper and said lower portions of the Working cylinder walls, a fullcircleannular exhaust port oropening 13, controlled by the smaller orworking member of the differential piston 7.

The above outlined engine being of a well known type, and its cycle ofoperations being fully set forth in my said prior patent 683,886, it isnot deemed necessary, for the purposes of this case, to trace the sameherein in detail. It will be sufiicientto refer thereto only insofar asmay be desirable to make clear the application of the invention hereindisclosed and claimed.

In carrying out my invention, as herein illustrated, I apply water asthe cooling agent, and supply the same by a suitable pump, run by theengine.

Referring to Fig. 1, a represents the pump cylinder by check valve 1),and a suitable discharge pipe b controlled by check valve b Thedischarge or delivery pipe b from the pump taps a valve casing c, shownas screwed into the cylinder casting 3, which is fitted with a doubleacting check valve 0, controlling inlet duct 0 to the explosion cylinderof the engine, and outlet duct or by-pass c to the overflow or dischargepipe c. p

p The inlet duct from the valve casing c taps, the explosion cylinder ofthe engine, at a point intermediate of the two extremes of the travel ofthe piston which works in the explosion chamber of the engine, and is solocated that the piston will control the timing of the water admissionto said explosion cylinder. Otherwise stated, the water cannot beadmitted tothe cylinder until the piston uncovers the duct 0 on thepistons hence, under the continued action of the pump, the

water will be-iorced into the working cylinder of the engine, and willso continue until the pump completes its working stroke. Otherwisestated, the parts as shown are so timed in respect to each other, thatthe working stroke of the pump piston begins and ends with the workingstroke of the engine piston subject to the explosion. Hence followsthat, until the engine piston uncovers theinlet duct 0 that the waterdelivered from the pump is wasting back through the bypass 0 and theoverflow or waste-pipe 0,- but, as soon as the duct 0 is uncovered, thewater is forced into the working cylinder, as above noted, thereby beinginstantly converted into steam by the heat within the cylinder, thustaking up a large amount of heat, cooling the cylinder and the piston,putting out the flame, and rendering it impossible for back explosions,premature explosions, or exhaust pipe explosions, to occur, andpermitting the utilization of the gases and heat generated by-theexplosion to their full capacity, or nearly so. The reason for this mustbe obvious from the statements already made, but will be understood fromthe further statement that, in actual practice, I have found that, underthis process, water-jacketing is not necessary for any of the parts ofan explosive engine. An engine, such as here illustrated, but withjacket walls, developing over ten horse-power in the incandescent lampsof an electric light plant, was run for many hours without any provisionwhatsoever, beyond that shown in the drawings, for cooling the engine.Otherwise stated, there was no water-jacketing, although the cylinderwas fitted with water jacket, and hence the conditions for large andspeedy radiation, such as are ordinarily present in air-cooled engines,were not present, and no provision whatever was present for forcing anyair through the water jacket space or about the explosion cylinder ofthe' engine. According to my tests so far made, I believe that theprocess herein disclosed is capable of being applied to cool any engine,regardless of the size of the explosion or working cylinder or piston.

It'will be seen, of course, that the cooling agent, ac-

cording to my invention, comes directly in contact with the metallicsurfaces exposed to the flames from the burning gases under pressure inthe explosion chamber. I

On principle, it must be clear that the efficiency of the engine isgreatly increased by this process. The great quantity of heat unitswhich go to waste in waterjacketed or air-cooled engines of the standardconstruction, is a fact universally known and recognized. 'it isgenerally conceded that nearly fifty percent of the heat units are lostin the standard engines, through. the walls of the cylinder, largelybecause of the necessary provisions, in the nature of water-jacketing,or radiating ribs, or forced applications of air, for cooling purposes.With the use of water as herein disclosed, little or no cooling takesplace until the greater portion bf the press sure generated by theexplosion has taken effect on the cooling, lubrication becomescomparatively easy.

Steam is itself more or less of a lubricant, and, by killing the flames,enables the ordinary lubricating oil to be 'utilized, on the piston andcylinder surfaces, to the best possible advantage, or, in other words,without being burned up.' Deposits of carbon are also avoided by thisprocess, thereby making it easier to keepthe contact points of thesparking plug clean, and avoiding accumulation about the packing rings,charging valve,

It will, of course, be understood that the quantity and temperature ofwater or other cooling agent to be introduced, must be properlyproportioned to the kind and size of the engine, and the amount of thecharge exploded. This can be regulated in any suitable way. As shown inthe drawings, the water supply pipe to the pump is provided with anordinary hand valve 6, preferably of the globe type, and can be openedmore or less so as to regulate and determine the quantity of water whichwill be introduced into the cylinder of the engine.

The by-pass, in the delivery connections from the pump, with the doubleacting check valve-controlling the same, is highly desirable, in somepoints of view, especially for preventing the introduction of any waterinto the cylinder of the engine when starting the en-. gine or upon astroke of the engine piston occurring under the eflect of momentum,without any explosion in the explosion chamber of the engine. It must beobvious that to introduce water at any other-time, than when the engineis operating under the direct effect of an explosion, would bedetrimental. If 'the engine be so organized that explosions will neverfail, it would and other parts exposed to the results of the explosion.1

be possible to dispense with the by-pass and the double livery of thewater to the working cylinder of the engine at the proper time, in theworking stroke of the engine piston.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis as follows:

' 1. In an explosive engine, the combination with means for introducingand exploding an explosive agent within the explosion chamber, of awater pump operated by the engine and having a delivery connection tothe explosion cylinder, a bypass and a double acting check valve, in theconnections from said pump, subject to the pressure from the workingcylinder of the-engine for closing the by-pass. and permitting the waterto be forced by the pump into said cylinder, substantially as described.

2. In an explosive engine, the combination with means dexoi! the enginefor closing the apy-pass and permitting 10 for introducing and explodingan explosive agent within the water to be forced by the'pumpfinto saidcylinder, sub the explosion chamber, of a water pump, operated by thestantially as described. engine and having a delivery connection tappingthe work- In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence ofingcylinder of said engine, intermediate of the limits of two witnesses;lheengine piston's travel, for timing the admission of ELLIS J. WOOLF.water thereto under the control of said piston, 11 by-pass Witnesses:

and a double acting check valve in the connections from H. D. KILGORE,said pump, suliject to the pressure from the working cylin- F. D.MERCEANT.

